Magneto-electric generator



L 1936- LE ROY s. DUNHAM 5 MAGNETO-ELECTRIC GENERATOR Filed July 6, 19:55

INVENTOR BY @231 K ATTORNEY Ze Fog Jam/7am Patented July 21, 1936 UNITED STATES MAGNETO-ELECTRIC GENERATOR Le Roy S. Dunham, East Orange, N. 1., assignor to Edison-Splitdorf Corporation, West Orange, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application July 6, 1935, Serial No. 30,098

' 6 Claims. (01.111452) This invention relates to an electric generator of the magneto type, such as used to furnish ignition current for internal combustion engines.

The object of the invention is to provide a 5 magneto in which the source of magnetic flux for the induction coil is provided by a rotating magnet or -magnets,.such a structure utilizing a smalleramount of magnet steel than is used in the ordinary type of machine having relatively m large external bar or horseshoe magnets.

My invention will be readily understood by one skilled in the design of magnetos, by reference to the annexed drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic view on the line l--i of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a skeleton view of the stator and rotor structure utilized in the machine.

Figure 4 is a view from the. interior of the machine looking at one pair of the flux collector rings utilized in the magneto.

Figure 4a shows a modified form of construction, only part of the coil being shown.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a form of rotor used with the structure shown in Figure 4, when used with the coil and pole pieces of Figure 4a,.

In the various views, wherein like numbers 30 refer to corresponding parts, I is a shaft supported on bearings 2 and 3. Securely carried on the shaft l, is a pair of spiders l and 5, each having a plurality of slots within which are positioned bar magnets arranged so as to give alternate polarity at each spider end; that is to say, the end of one vbar in one spider may be a north pole, while the next adjacent bar end presents a south pole. Preferably, each spider is provided with a plurality of projecting arms 40 l to which there are rigidly mounted magnetic pole pieces I. These pole pieces I are preferably of laminated material so as to distribute the flux coming from the bar magnets in .an efiicient manner. As will be seen by the various 45 figures, the 'magnets 8 are circumferentially arranged in longitudinally spaced arrangement around the shaft i, and the pole pieces I termi nate in polar faces B'which are also preferably parallel with the axis of the shaft i.

50 Carried at opposite ends of the frame of the magneto, adjacent the spiders 4 and 5 (the frame is omitted for the purpose of clarity), are pairs of flux collector rings Ill and II, and I2 and II, all preferably constructed of laminated 55 sheets, the pair of rings In and i I being inspaced relation adjacent the spider I, while the pair of rings l2 and I: are in spaced relation adjacent the spider 5. Each of the collector rings l and "is provided with a plurality of polar projections ll, while the collector rings l i and I3 are provided with the same number of similar .polar projections IS. The polar projections on the pair of rings i0 and II, as well as on the rings l2 and i3, are arranged alternately in spaced relation and extend into cooperative po- 10 sition with the polar faces 9 of the pole pieces I of the bar magnets 8.

Thus it will be seen from the various figures, that in one position of the rotor, the collector ring ill will be magnetized for one polarity; for example, north; while the ring ii will be magnetized for the opposite polarity or south. In addition, the ring l2 will be magnetized to correspond to the ring i0, and the ring [3 to correspond to the ring ii, these collector rings alternating in polarity as the rotor is turned.

In order to utilize all of the poles simultaneously to get the greatest efllciency from the machine, I provide a bridge member iii of laminated stock of good magnetic material which connects the rings ii and I 3 magnetically together; likewise, a similar bridge II which connects the flux collector rings in and I2 together.

Contacting with one pair of the rings of opposite magnetic polarity; for example, the rings 39 II and I2, Iprovide a core l8 having extensions l9 and 20 which engage the rings II and I2. The core it carries an induction coil 2| having the usual primary and secondary windings.

From the construction-above described, it will be seen that thestructure will produce as many electrical impulses as'there are bar magnets on the rotor. While the bar magnets 8 may be formed directly into the polar surface 9, I prefer to use the separate pole pieces as shown, 40 forcing the. bars 8 into position between them on the spiders.

It is within the scope of my invention to utilize with the stator shown, a rotor 24, as shown in Figure 5, in which the magnet has its lines of polarization at right angles to the axis of rotation on the shaft, so that alternate polar surfaces in their entirety are exposed to the magnetic cooperation with a pair ofthe collectors. With such a rotor, only one pair of the collector rings such as Ill and H shown in Figure. 4 is required and the core l8 of the induction coil-2| would bridge this pair of collector rings as shown by the arms 22 and 23 extending from the core l8 in Figure 4a.

Other changes in the mechanical details may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A magneto-electric generator including a shaft carrying a pair of spaced spiders, bar magnets supported between said spiders, the bars being arranged to give alternate polarity at each spider end and the bar ends terminating in polar faces, a, pair of spaced flux collector rings having polar projections to cooperate with the magnet poles adjacent eachof said spiders, bridge members of magnetic material connecting the flux collector rings of like polarity and a core carry-' ing an induction coil bridging a pair of the flux collector rings of opposite polarity.

2. A magneto-electric generator comprising rotor and stator structures, the rotor including a shaft and a plurality of bar magnets circumferentially arranged in spaced longitudinal relation around the shaft and terminating at opposite ends in polar faces; the stator including a pair of spaced flux collector rings at opposite ends of the rotor, each pair of rings having polar projections extending in alternate relationship into cooperative position with said rotor polar faces, bridge members of magnetic material connecting the flux collector rings of like polarity and a core carrying an induction coil bridging a pair of the flux collector rings of opposite'polarity.

3. A magneto-electric generator comprising rotor and stator structures, the rotor including a shaft and a plurality of bar magnets arranged in a cage-like formation around the shaft and terminating at each end in polar faces; the stator including a pair of spaced flux collector rings at opposite ends of the rotor cage, each pair of collector rings having polar projections extending toward a common plane between the two rings and into alternate spaced relationship with their 6 ends in cooperative position with the rotor polar faces, bridge members of magnetic material connecting the flux collector rings of like polarity and a core carrying an induction coil bridging a pair of the fluxcollector rings of opposite polarity. l

4. A magneto-electric generator as defined in claim 3, further characterized in that the bar magnets are wedged between separate pole pieces terminating in polar faces which are parallel to the axis of the shaft. 15

5. A magneto-electric generator as defined in claim 3, further characterized in that the bar magnet polar faces have substantially all parts thereof equi-distant from'the axis of the shaft.

6. A magneto-electric generator comprising 20 rotor and stator structures, the stator including at least a pair of spaced ring members of laminated material having pole pieces substantially the width of said rings and projecting generally radially therefrom toward the rotor in inter- 25 meshing relation, a laminated core connecting said ring members and an induction coil on said core, said rotor comprising a structure terminating in a plurality of pairs of arcuately spaced permanently magnetized poles of alternate polarity 30 for cooperation with the inwardly projecting pole pieces from each of said rings.

LE ROY S. DUNHAM. 

